Just finished Plato at the Googleplex by Rebecca Goldstein, a fantastic book in equals parts an exposition of ancient Greek society and the beginnings of western philosophy, and a staunch defense of the fields relevance in the present. The chapters alternate between historical discussions and dialogues where Plato talks to characters in contemporary settings -- in a Bill OReilly-style political talk show, a neuroscience lab, and, yes, the titular Googleplex -- in very much the same fashion as his own dialogues. The historical chapters succeed in detailing just how subversive a figure Socrates really was, so contrary to ethical thought of his time, and why the Athenians felt that he needed to die. They are also a great introduction to Platonism. The dialogues, though they sound gimmicky, work for the most part. Having Plato prove his mettle to a software engineer, a neuroscientist, a pundit, and other modern characters is simultaneously a lot of fun to read and a strong case for having more Platos and Socrateses (Socratii?) in our society. So yeah, a great book overall and a very enjoyable read, something that cant be said for a lot of contemporary philosophical writing. Heres a review from the Times: nytimes/2014/04/20/books/review/plato-at-the-googleplex-by-rebecca-newberger-goldstein.html?_r=0
Posted on: Wed, 04 Jun 2014 05:23:10 +0000
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